If you use the Gnome Desktop and require a simple volume control look no further than the Volume Applet that can be added to the Gnome Panel.

Unfortunately this has not worked with oss version 4 due to shortcomings in Gstreamer's oss library.

[edit by cesium: gstreamer-plugins-bad 0.10.7 has added official support for OSSv4, so you may wish to try installing that instead of trying the patched version below. -bad 0.10.7 may require -base 0.10.19 to work correctly]

EDIT: An AMD64(x86-64) version using Clive's updated patch is attached to this Ubuntu post: <s>http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=3768914&postcount=60</s> [Edit by cesium: point to updated post: http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=4874981&postcount=2, ignore everything except "ADDENDUM: Volume Control Patch", and the attached versions of this patch]
I built it with Ubuntu 7.10(amd64) using gstreamer-0.10-14, gstreamer-plugins-base-0.10-14, and gstreamer-plugins-good-0.10-6.

I've also verified that it works on my other distro (Arch Linux x64).

Last edited by Temüjin on Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:04 am, edited 3 times in total.

I don't have a 64 bit machine. Ok I know I should be able to cross-compile 64 bit code on a 32 bit machine, but it is something I have never done and as I would not be able to test the resulting binary. I would have no way of knowing whether I had been successful or not.

I assume, as you are asking for it, that you have a machine capable of compiling and testing 64 bit code.
Could I therefore suggest that you download the sources for gst-plugins-good-0.10.6 apply any patches that are applicable to your distro and architecture and check whether my .patch file can be correctly applied.
If all is well you should be able to build the library file yourself and (provided it works) make it available for other users.

Just updated the library & patch file after finding a bug which prevented the gnome volume applet and mixer working correctly with Alsa's oss emulation. The new library should now operate transparently so there is no need to remove/un-install it if reverting to the Alsa sound drivers.

Hi, I've tried to use the applet library as per your README but it seems to have no affect positive or negative. I am using a M-audio Revolution 7.1 card. Any ideas how to get this to work. I've got the sound working on a number of apps but not others and I'd like to remedy this. Thanks for all the work so far. One thing that may be worth nothing. I notice that in both the ossxmix and the gnome applet, there appear to be 5 options that appear to be irrelevant for this card: Volume, PCM, CD, Line-In and Microphone. Following the terminal window when trying to use any of these to adjust volume I get the following:
SNDCTL_MIX_WRITE: Invalid argument when I check/uncheck the "rec" box or attempt to move the "Mic" sliders. The other 4 stay at the maximum and upon attempting to slide down will refresh back to the top. Nothing moves them. Similar behavior is exhibited with the gnome applet, except in the later case you cannot even move the slider. Looking in the /dev/ directory and the settings that work properly in VLC, MPlayer, and MythTV, it seems that PCM0 is valid but perhaps not PCM (no number) and all devices seemed to be mapped from dsp devices . I don't pretend to know how the applications in sound drivers work in Linux but I hope some of this info will help someone to allow these quality drivers to work on nearly all apps and/or make them as trouble free as possible. The OS I'm running is Ubuntu 7.10 on a Asus M2NPV-VM with a Hauppauge 500 TV Tuner card along with M-Audio revolution 7.10 card with the on-board audio disabled in the bios. My chief interest is getting some Python based applications (and others) to get their sound (GCompris is one where for example the Synaptic obtained package has no sound after drivers are compiled in the kernel and I'd like to get the login sounds back (no longer working upon switching to OSS) which I guess means eventually get the ESD working or emulated somehow. As might be expected the test sound (Gnome sound preference dialog in Ubuntu) on OSS and no other setting (Alsa, ESD) and on Audio Conferencing-> Sound capture produces the error: Failed to construct test pipeline for 'gconfaudiosrc ! audio convert ! audioresample ! gconfaudiosink profile=chat' on all save the "test sound" settings (due to absense of mike?) Given I cannot change the setting of the five mentioned devices that gnome inserts with no other options, do they need to be remapped. I'm brainstorming at this but because I really want to make this work. Hope some of the info proves useful. My biggest hopes are to get Python based education apps (Gcompris and TuxTyping for example) to work properly in regards to sound (Alsa dependent builds in Ubuntu perhaps?) as well as GnomeRadio to make use of the radio tuner. Oh, this is build 1011 of the oss debian package with license applied if that helps. Thanks in advance.

If you run:
ossxmix -x
do any or all of the irrelevent mixer controls disappear?
On the subject of ESD does:
dpkg -S /usr/lib/libesd.so.0
show?
libesd-alsa0: /usr/lib/libesd.so.0
if so install package libesd0

seawright wrote:If you run:ossxmix -xdo any or all of the irrelevent mixer controls disappear?On the subject of ESD does:dpkg -S /usr/lib/libesd.so.0show?libesd-alsa0: /usr/lib/libesd.so.0if so install package libesd0

Yes all the irrelevent mixer controls disappear when using the "-x" parameter.

On using the command dpkg -S /usr/lib/libesd.so.0, I get back the following result:
libesd-alsa0: /usr/lib/libesd.so.0

I've just installed the libesd0 package (used Synaptic package manager) which required removal of the libesd0-alsa package. I also added the libesd0-dev package (source files) in case they may be required. after applying I rebooted the machine (just to be sure I restarted all necessary daemons. It isn't MS but as I don't know all the services required for this library change to take effect if any,it seemed easier even if overkill). Good news: no harm down. Bad news: no good done either. tested sounds using the Preferences->Sounds configuration dialog with no effect. Tried the afore mentioned python applications, still no sound. Any steps to recommend?

Oh, side note: Quick reply! I'm used to waiting an eternity to get a reply on a forum. I'm very impressed.

Hello, I use Gnome Desktop and OSS driver. My OS is Ubuntu 7.10. I want to control volume with my keyboard. My steps:
1) I dowloaded gstreamer-ossv4.tar.gz
2) I unpacked it
3) I packed libgstossaudio.so:

The mixer controls you see belong to a "fake" legacy mixer in the envy24ht device driver. As far as gstreamer is concerned these controls take precedence over the real controls. In the driver you have, there is no way to disable these controls but there is another test/experimental driver where they are switchable and disabled by default.